When Matt Patricia became the 27th head coach of the Lions, he inherited contrasting dynamics.

One is the Lions’ tradition, or more precisely, lack of it. They are arguably the least-successful major professional team sports organization the past 60 years.

The other, despite the Lions’ lack of success, is the expectation they currently have enough talent to win a postseason game in 2018.

As such, these are 5 factors which will make or break Matt Patricia’s tenure as Lions’ head coach:

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1 - Instilling fundamentals: If it sounds obvious and cliche, it isn’t, not for the Lions. They have long been the NFL’s standard for poor fundamental football. Just last season, they didn’t block well. They were last in rushing, and allowed the second most quarterback sacks. There have been many spans when Lions’ receivers have dropped passes at an alarming rate. Foolish penalties have also been a specialty. Think about it. When have you said to yourself, “Hey, the Lions look like they are well-coached.” Hasn’t been often, correct? That’s even during those rare spans when the Lions have won more than lost.

2 - Matthew Stafford: What, usually, is the first item mentioned when suggested the Lions’ coaching job is “appealing?” They have a franchise quarterback, right? Stafford is 30. He has had many spectacular moments, but ultimately the Lions have fallen short of winning a playoff game. We have yet to find out what Stafford can do with a solid offensive line and running attack. We likely will under Patricia’s watch. Is Patricia capable of getting Stafford to reach his supposedly high ceiling? Did Patricia make the right decision retaining offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter? How much slack does he give Cooter? He clearly was hesitant to give Cooter a ringing endorsement, even though Stafford make it clear he wanted Cooter to return.

3 - Game management: It was Jim Caldwell’s biggest downfall, from when to throw the challenge flag, to go for it on short yardage and even how many men to put on the field. Caldwell’s clock management was terrible. If Patricia isn’t considerably better in this area than Caldwell, it will be a huge disappointment.

4 - Building a stellar defense: Other than 2014, when the stars aligned perfectly while facing a slew of poor quarterbacks, the Lions haven’t had good defensive units, let alone a great one. Patricia won Super Bowl rings as the Patriots’ defensive coordinator. It’s his specialty. He is inheriting a good secondary, but an underachieving front seven.

5 - The Lions must perform under pressure: The Lions, at times, have had solid teams. Under Caldwell they averaged nine wins per season and made the playoffs twice. But in the biggest games, they have been at their worst. Patricia is coming from an organization, the Patriots, defined by big victories, to one known for epic meltdowns. The politically correct way is referring to it as a losing culture. The less tactful would say the Lions are chokers. Those inclined to humor would refer to them as jokers. Whatever, the Lions have been defined by collapsing like a house of cards under pressure for decades. There have been several coaches, with different backgrounds and styles, who have failed in this regard. Patricia is fighting history. The upside is having a solid nucleus to start his program.